Farmers market outlines requests to finance committee

CHICO — Chico Certified Farmers Market board members outlined a vision for their Saturday event before the city's finance committee Tuesday, and were pressed by committee members to return with cost estimates.

Farmers market vendors do not want to move to the city's municipal building lot and instead want to improve the location where they have operated for 20 years, said Richard Coon, chairman of the market board.

Members would like to add an office and semi-permanent bathrooms, try utilizing a third aisle and obtain a long-term lease.

"I think it's time we move forward and work together," he said. "We are here, we are willing to work with the city any way we can."

City staff have not yet had a chance to vet the ideas, said Fritz McKinley, the city's building and development services director. He told the committee he also would look into costs.

Market board member Nancy Schleiger asked the committee to consider allowing the market to use the most northern parking aisle at the Second and Flume street lot as a trial run this summer when the entrance is blocked by construction of the downtown couplet project. Such an expansion would give market vendors more space and create more room for community participation and booths, she said.

Though it has not officially been determined if the couplet project would temporarily close that entrance, it is likely, McKinley told the committee.

Board member Kurt Albrecht also asked the council for a longer-term lease, instead of the one-year lease the market now operates under. Vendors would be willing to contribute toward costly improvements, including bathrooms, running water and signage, if they knew it would benefit them in the long term, he said.

The market board also would like to establish a semi-permanent bathroom-office combination, similar to the Davis Farmers Market, that can be moved. It would likely require utilizing metered parking space so the cost impact will have to be determined, Albrecht said.

Committee member Scott Gruendl indicated a desire to work with the market but also said he had hoped more concrete cost estimates would have been presented at Tuesday's meeting.

"I'm ready to have discussion," he said. "I appreciate that some work has been done but we should be a little further along at this point."

The market board addressed the finance committee earlier last year and little of what was presented Tuesday is new, said committee member Mark Sorensen. He asked the board to return with a proposal of what it wants, costs and financing options.

A more detailed discussion is expected at the finance committee's February meeting.

With about a dozen market members represented Tuesday, many stressed the market's economic contribution to the community as reason for the city's support. James Brock said he did not have specific figures to offer up but would calculate some for the next meeting.

"The world is discovering the Chico farmers market," he said. "It's a place to go, be seen and see folks ... The more the city can do to work with the market, the more the market can work with the city. I think we'll reap great rewards."